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"Blistering contemporary blues...piercing attack, funky, shivery guitar tones and aggressive, soulful vocals" -Blues Revue

"In a world of blues guitar pretenders, Coco Montoya is the real McCoy. Be prepared to get scorched."-Billboard

Over the course of his 30-year career, guitarist and vocalist Coco Montoya's explosive guitar playing and soul-driven voice have propelled him to the upper reaches of the blues-rock world. From his early days as a drummer to his current status as one of the top-drawing guitarists and vocalists on the blues-rock scene, Montoya has forged his reputation through years of hard work and constant touring. And it all started with a chance meeting in the mid-1970s with legendary bluesman Albert Collins, who offered Montoya a gig as his drummer. Albert took an immediate liking to Montoya, becoming his mentor and teaching his new protégé secrets of the Collins "icy hot" style of blues guitar. Five years later, John Mayall happened to catch Montoya at a jam session and was blown away. This led to Montoya's touring the world for ten years with the legendary Bluesbreakers.

Since stepping out as a bandleader in 1993, Montoya has released four solo albums and has performed non-stop at clubs, concert halls and major festivals all over the world. At every show, fans' jaws dropped, and critics raved about Montoya's mind-bending guitar licks and impassioned vocals. "The fiery blues that issue forth from Coco Montoya's guitar are awe-inspiring and boogie requiring," shouted The Village Voice. "Blistering, pure blues," cheered Blues Revue. Now, with Can't Look Back, Montoya turns up the intensity with another dose of his feral, soul-stirring music.

Coco Montoya was born in Santa Monica, California in 1951 and raised by working class parents with a large record collection. As a youngster, he enjoyed picking out notes on the guitar, but he grew up playing drums in local rock bands. In 1969, Montoya saw Albert King opening up a Creedence Clearwater Revival/Iron Butterfly concert and was transformed. "After Albert got done playing," says Montoya, "my life was changed. When he played, the music went right into my soul. It grabbed me so emotionally that I had tears welling up in my eyes. Nothing had ever affected me to this level. He showed me what music and guitar playing were all about. I knew that was what I wanted to do."

By the mid-1970s, Montoya was playing drums in several local rock bands, one of which played a small Culver City, California bar on weekends where he met Albert Collins.

A few months later, Albert desperately needed a drummer for a tour of the Northwest and he called Coco. "When he called," recalls Coco, "I figured we'd rehearse for a few weeks before the tour. Instead, he told me he'd pick me up in three hours." During the tour, Albert took Montoya under his wing, teaching him about the blues. After the tour ended, Montoya remained in Collins' band for five more years. It was during this time that Coco began doubling on guitar. And Collins went out of his way to teach the youngster. "We'd sit in hotel rooms for hours and play guitar," remembers Montoya. "He'd play that beautiful rhythm of his and just have me play along. He was always saying, 'Don't think about it, just feel it.' He taught me to tap into an inner strength. What a great gift he gave me."

In the early 1980s, John Mayall needed a guitarist for the newly reformed Bluesbreakers, so he called Coco Montoya. Filling the shoes of previous Bluesbreaker guitarists Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor would not be easy, but Montoya knew he could not pass up the opportunity to play with another blues legend. He joined the band, determined to become an even greater guitarist. For the next ten years he toured the world and recorded with Mayall, soaking up everything he could.

By the early 1990s, Montoya was at another crossroads. He had been with the Bluesbreakers for ten years and felt ready for a change. Albert Collins told Coco to move on and do his own thing. Montoya talked to Mayall, who understood the time was right. "Both Albert and John pushed me out of the nest nice and easy," says Coco . Although he was nervous about the move, Montoya put a band together and hit the road, proving himself night after night. His debut as a leader, 1995's Gotta Mind To Travel (originally on Silvertone Records in England and later issued in the USA on Blind Pig Records), became an instant favorite with blues fans, radio programmers and critics. The album introduced Montoya as a bandleader who immediately ranked among the best players on the contemporary blues scene. In 1996, he was nominated for four W.C. Handy Awards and walked away with the award for Best New Blues Artist.

In 2000, Coco 's Alligator debut, Suspicion, quickly became the best-selling album of his career. With regular radio airplay on over 120 stations nationwide, Montoya's fan base exploded. The record held the number one position on the Living Blues radio chart for three straight months. And it landed on the Billboard Blues Chart for 11 weeks in a row, peaking at number 11.

Averaging over 200 tour dates a year, Montoya packs clubs and theaters around the world. He has played major festivals throughout the US . It's no coincidence that publications from The Philadelphia Daily News to Blues Revue to Living Blues to The Village Voice all rank Coco among the best guitarists and singers on the blues scene. With Can't Look Back and continued non-stop touring, Coco Montoya is blasting head first into the future, and he's bringing everyone along for the fiery, blues-rocking ride.

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